What is SEL?

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. SEL enhances students’ capacity to integrate skills, attitudes, and behaviors to deal effectively and ethically with daily tasks and challenges.

Schools have the potential to impact large numbers of children and to reduce suicide rates. SAMHSA states, “Schools have an essential role to play in preventing suicide and in promoting behavioral health among America’s young people” (Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools, 2012. SAMHSA, p. 14). Evidence-based SEL programming can be implemented in the school setting and can be part of the “upstream prevention” of youth suicide. Upstream prevention is defined as “approaches that reduce risk factors or enhance protective processes that influence the likelihood that a young person will become suicidal” (AAS & SPTS, 2012, p. 1).

The skills and strategies that children and teens gain through SEL have been shown to increase protective factors and reduce risk factors associated with suicide (AAS & SPTS, 2012). Effective SEL develops skills in problem solving, conflict resolution, nonviolent ways of handling disputes as well as a sense of connectedness all of which serve as as protective factors for youth against suicide and other self-destructive behaviors during transitions or crises. Further, by implementing SEL in schools, students, teachers, and administrators are more aware of and skilled in identifying and responding to mental health issues when the behavior first presents itself.

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